Montessori schools traditionally have been expensive propositions for parents of pre-schoolers. But Children Inc. is working to change that in Northern Kentucky.

"We've made a strong commitment to giving families the option of choosing Montessori," said Rick Hulefeld, director of Children Inc., the largest early childhood education agency in Northern Kentucky.

Today, the agency's Cathedral Child Development Center officially is changed to the Cathedral School of Montessori and Early Education, becoming the second of the agency's nine early education and child care centers to become Montessori schools.

Last June, two centers merged to become the Montessori and Early Learning Academy on Altamont Road in West Covington.

Both new Montessori schools will continue to offer a traditional pre-school classroom program, but will focus on the Montessori method, which allows children to progress at their own pace and reinforces initiative, independence and respect, said Hulefeld.

The change will give parents from all economic levels a Montessori option, said Hulefeld.

"Montessori is expensive because the equipment costs so much more and there are so few teachers," he said.

"We want to make it affordable to anybody."

Children Inc. is a natural proponent of the early learning system developed by world-renowned educator Maria Montessori in the early 20th century.

Children, Inc. is the only agency in the state that offers a national certification program for Montessori teachers.

The Montessori method allows a child to pursue areas that pique his or her interest and progress at his or her own speed.

Teachers guide the children, but the typical classroom has children pursuing their own learning projects rather than all doing the same thing at the same time.

Learning is hands-on, with shapes, color and texture an eye-catching feature of every classroom.

"It's a wonderful way for children to learn and it ought to be available to all children, whether you're rich or not rich," said Hulefeld.

The Children Inc. programs cost $125 a week, with a sliding scale based on a family's income. Some families pay $5 a week.

Children Inc. offers year-round, full-day classes.

Parents can let their children try the Montessori classroom or the traditional one to see where they thrive, said Hulefeld.

Montessori equipment includes bright beads, blocks and other counting components for the math area, maps that show continents and evolve into more complex maps.

Children use a small rug to mark their work area.

"The teacher doesn't go into the child's area without their permission and the child can't go into another child's area without permission. They learn to respect each other, and they get respect," said Hulefeld.

A tenet of the Montessori system is to capture the child's natural curiosity and interest as a pathway to learning.